Roster Update: R. Smith, Kibler, Seliskar Make First Olympic Teams On Day 3

2021 U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS

Regan Smith is a world champ and world record-holder – but now she can add “U.S. Olympian” to that impressive resume.

Smith was one of three first-time Olympians locked into berths after night 3 in Omaha. Five more swimmers are likely to make their first Olympic teams, provided enough swimmers qualify in multiple events to keep the roster under the 26-person cap.

Smith won the 100 back tonight, beating arguably the toughest field of any event at these U.S. Olympic Trials. The time of 58.35 was well off her best, but Smith could breathe a sigh of relief after finally making her first Olympic team, almost two full stressful and chaotic years after she broke out on the international scene with two world records at 2019 Worlds.

Drew Kibler and Andrew Seliskar are locked into their first Olympic teams after placing 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the 200 free final. They’ll both swim on the 4×200 free relay, joining Kieran Smith (who booked his first Olympic trip on night 1) and Townley HaasHaas was on the 2016 U.S. Olympic team in this 200 free.

Ryan Murphy will return to the Olympics by virtue of a 100 back win tonight. On the women’s side, Lilly King will return to the Olympics after winning the 100 breast.

Other potential first-time Olympians include Rhyan White in the 100 back, Lydia Jacoby in the 100 breast, Hunter Armstrong in the 100 back, Zach Apple in the 4×200 free relay and Patrick Callan in that same 4×200 free relay.

Update: Jake Mitchell will also likely make his first Olympic team after an electric time trial of the 400 free tonight. Mitchell was 2nd in the 400 free final, but didn’t make the FINA “A” cut. He time-trialed the race alone in the pool after tonight’s finals session, going 3:45.86 and putting himself in line for an Olympic berth.

2021 U.S. Olympic Roster After Day 3

Tonight’s new qualifiers are noted in bold.

Tentative qualifiers (who need a certain number of multi-event qualifiers to be officially added) are listed in italics

Women:

  • Emma Weyant: 400 IM
  • Torri Huske: 100 fly
  • Katie Ledecky: 400 free
  • Regan Smith: 100 back
  • Lilly King: 100 breast
  • Hali Flickinger: 400 IM
  • Claire Curzan: 100 fly
  • Paige Madden: 400 free
  • Rhyan White: 100 back
  • Lydia Jacoby: 100 breast

Men:

Doubles

Here’s an overly-simplifed version of the U.S. Olympic selection process: the team can have a maximum of 26 men and 26 women. Swimmers are added to the roster in these priorities until the roster cap is hit:

  1. Top 4 in 100/200 frees, Winner of all other events
  2. 2nd-place finisher in all events (besides 100/200 free)
  3. 5th-place finisher in 100/200 free
  4. 6th-place finisher in 100/200 free

We track ‘doubles’ as a way of knowing when the next priority of swimmers can be officially added to the team. A ‘double’ is effectively a swimmer qualifying in more than one event. One swimmer qualifying in three events counts as two ‘doubles’ for our purposes.

The Magic Numbers:

  • 6 doubles on either the men’s or women’s side means all priority 2 athletes (2nd-place finishers) can be added for that gender
  • 8 doubles on either the men’s or women’s side means all priority 3 athletes (5th-place in 100/200 free) can be added for that gender
  • 10 doubles on either the men’s or women’s side means all priority 4 athletes (6th-place in 100/200 free) can be added for that gender

After Day 3:

  • Men: 1 double (Kieran Smith‘s 200/400 free)
  • Women: no doubles

The doubles are low right now, but that’s not necessarily unusual. There have only been 5 men’s finals and 5 women’s finals so far. Doubles usually grow exponentially as the week goes on. Tomorrow’s women’s 200 free final should provide several double opportunities, and the men have lots up for grabs on day 5 with the 100 free final.

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SCCOACH
3 years ago

Anyone who calls King a bully has major issues. She wagged a finger at a PED user and said she likes to say wacky stuff in the ready room to psych people out. Until one of her competitors comes forward and accuses her of crossing the line you all really need to stop the silly bully narrative,

Last edited 3 years ago by SCCOACH
AvidSwimFan
Reply to  SCCOACH
3 years ago

Thank you for this. I’m not always a King fan, but giving someone a bully label before fully knowing the nature of “I like to psych people out in the ready room” is a stretch. Just saw you’re not a fan/havebeen looking to knock her down a peg or two and move on.

deob
Reply to  SCCOACH
3 years ago

Agree. As a swim fan you weren’t there in the ready room so I don’t think you have the right to judge until you know the full story.

PVSFree
3 years ago

Is Jake Mitchell the most clutch swimmer on Team USA? Passes like three guys on the final 50 to touch second after flipping 5th at the final wall, then takes his time trial 400 in a 1:49.8 TO THE FEET when he was 1:49.4 in the 400 free prelims, and manages to drop almost 2.5 seconds to make the Olympic team in a swim BY HIMSELF

Gen D
Reply to  PVSFree
3 years ago

the dude literally had nothing to lose

Tomek
Reply to  PVSFree
3 years ago

I guess you wanted to say Jake was 1:49.43 in the 200 free prelims…

Smith-King-Huske-Manuel
3 years ago

Da Youth on the Women’s Side!

Under 20 years old:
Curzan – DOB 30 Jun 2004
Jacoby – DOB 29 Feb 2004
Huske – DOB 07 Dec 2002
Smith – DOB 09 Feb 2002
Weyant – DOB 24 Dec 2001

Meow
Reply to  Smith-King-Huske-Manuel
3 years ago

Will we have an entirely teenage prelim medley relay?

NLCM
3 years ago

I find it deeply unsettling that NBC is glorifying Lilly King’s bullying. The fact that she’s bragging about trying to psych out a 17-year-old in the ready room at her first Olympic Trials isn’t a cause for celebration but a problematic narrative. Truly admirable athletes respect their competition (especially their teammates!) and set an example for the young athletes. And to be clear, I would treat a male athlete with the same level of scrutiny.

Washed Up
Reply to  NLCM
3 years ago

if I were king I would not mess with the Alaskan. Still waters run deep and she seems like the kind of swimmer that’s going to hold that inside and use it. Yeah they’re all teammates but any swimmer will tell you they compete just as hard against a teammate as someone not on your team.

PVSFree
Reply to  NLCM
3 years ago

I’m usually supportive of King’s personality, but that crossed a line. As a premier American swimmer and a leader on the national team, she has a responsibility to support other US swimmers, especially ones that likely look up to her and don’t really pose a threat to her Olympic slot.

Swim fan
Reply to  PVSFree
3 years ago

I don’t like her. Ew. Plus she disrespected Phelps. Double Ew.

Swimmer
Reply to  NLCM
3 years ago

What did she do?

Go usa
Reply to  Swimmer
3 years ago

Prob tried to get in her head so lazor could make it

SCCOACH
Reply to  Swimmer
3 years ago

Nothing, NBC just trying to make a story out of nothing

Swim fan
Reply to  NLCM
3 years ago

Agree, she’s a bully!

deob
Reply to  NLCM
3 years ago

She brought it up to praise Jacoby on how she was able to get the job done even under that pressure.

DMacNCheez
Reply to  NLCM
3 years ago

Honestly King brought it up in a light hearted tone, and It seemed like an excuse to compliment Jacoby’s composure under pressure. King is too confident to be worrying about her competitors.

Meow
Reply to  DMacNCheez
3 years ago

People who are actually confident don’t need to make entire commercials about how they psych people out. Being that vocal about it constantly reeks of insecurity.

Philip Johnson
Reply to  NLCM
3 years ago

Can you give us specifics? Who is making the accusation? Has the bullied person come out?

Notanyswimmer
3 years ago

Pianos dropping left and right on Team USA. What explains this dearth of in-form, in-prime talent? Perhaps the lack of attention span we have is decimating our athletes’ endurance.

Make college meters
Reply to  Notanyswimmer
3 years ago

My man the best female distance swimmer of all time is an American

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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